Following a dream (Questions about getting started in producing electronic music)

[Just_another_alias]

Hi all. Well, it's the time of year where New Years resolutions are in order, so one of mine is to follow a dream of learning how to make music. I'm in my late 30s and have no illusions of fame and fortune, I am just feeling an instinct that creating music would be theraputic and fun, and I need some changes in the direction of my life. I can hear the music in my head and have often thought "Damn I wish I knew how to reproduce those sounds".

I have loved electronic music all my life, so this seems like a good place to begin. I don't have any ability when it comes to playing any musical instruments, but I am very interested in the sound editing and arrangement.
I like breakbeat, glitchy acid stuff, downtempo, ambient, hard techno and house, but I would eventually like to be not just limited to electronic music.

This board has usually been helpful in the past, so I thought I'd come here and ask for any advice for beginners on easy to use/inexpensive software/gear.

Here's what I have to work with so far.

Myself and my partner were given a M-Audio Axiom 25 keyboard for Xmas (I have never used a midi keyboard before) , and I have a G4 Mac with Garage Band (which I have a few days worth of experience with) and I have messed around in the past with creating drag 'n' drop Soundtrack songs. I liked using Soundtrack, but creating music based entirely around using other people's loops just isn't satisfying enough. Creating my own loops would be what I'd want to do.

I've seen a few Youtube tutorials that talk about using iDrum in creating their own drum loops (which seems like an ideal place to start), and it seems easy to use to me. Does anyone here have experience using this Idrum, is it shit, is it good for beginners, is there anything better that's not too daunting?
I am on a shoestring budget.

Thanks for getting through this long post, and I welcome any tips and advice from the experienced.
-Future music producer

[Wheres the beef?]

Well...first you want to........

Then.......

So that........

After........

Then you will......

And you should be all set.

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

good advice.

[J~$$$]

I followed a dream one day. It ended up raping me. Please be careful when following a dream too closely.

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

I followed a dream one day. It ended up raping me. Please be careful when following a dream too closely.

Also, good advice...

[Just_another_alias]

I might have expected the snarkyness. So I'll boil it down to "Can anyone recommend easy to use software for producing electronic music"
Thanks anyways.

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

sorry man, if I knew of some software I would recommend some but I am in the same boat as you.

[J~$$$]

I might have expected the snarkyness. So I'll boil it down to "Can anyone recommend easy to use software for producing electronic music"
Thanks anyways.

Use what everyone else does protools or ableton live 7

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

Use what everyone else does protools or ableton live 7

good call, isn't that stuff really pricey?

[Alchemy]

FLStudio and Reason are easy places to start since you don't need more than a computer to put something together.

A lot of my friends use Reason mostly, but I am more partial to FLStudio.

EDIT: Oh I see you have a Mac. We use these programs on a PC... but that doesn't mean you can't get them on your Mac of course. I don't like Garage Band much, but if I am not mistaken, Justice made Cross using Garage Band... Doesn't matter though. You might think about getting a sampler. A lot of my friends started out making electronic music with an Electribe.

[J~$$$]

good call, isn't that stuff really pricey?

Just_another_alias wants to be the cinnamon in the gravy of music production. go for gold and buy the good stuff.

[luckyface]

Give Propellerhead Reason a shot. All you need is a USB keyboard and the software to get going.

[M Sparks]

So I'll boil it down to "Can anyone recommend easy to use software for producing electronic music"

Not for Mac.

EDIT...I'm not saying there isn't any...I just meant I don't know what's good for Mac. Acid Pro 6 is pretty cool for PC, though.

When I was in a band in my youth, we used Cakewalk, but I don't know if that's still around.

[M Sparks]

the cinnamon in the gravy of...

I have never heard this phrase before. I like it, though.

[J~$$$]

Im also fond of a new term I heard the other day... "time traveling" after a hard night of drinking.

[IdiotequeThom]

I might have expected the snarkyness. So I'll boil it down to "Can anyone recommend easy to use software for producing electronic music"
Thanks anyways.

it's called REASON. go to propellerheads.se and check it out.

It takes a while to get used to it, espectially if you don't have much experience with this stuff, but after a year or so, you should be making some good songs.

[Just_another_alias]

The screenshots of Reason that I've seen look a bit daunting, but I suppose I could get by with a few tutorials. I'm just a little afraid of investing so much in a program that's going to be too frustrating to learn, at least at first. If I can find a friend with a copy I'll definetely give it a shot.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Anything else in the $100 range?

[Alchemy]

The screenshots of Reason that I've seen look a bit daunting, but I suppose I could get by with a few tutorials. I'm just a little afraid of investing so much in a program that's going to be too frustrating to learn, at least at first. If I can find a friend with a copy I'll definetely give it a shot.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Anything else in the $100 range?

Try FLStudio. Ask a pirate about it.

[canexplain]

I have never heard this phrase before. I like it, though.

sparks, you never put cinnamon in gravy, or in chilie yummmmmmy, but not too much .... btw, my daughters name is Cinnamon ... i know, those damn hippies canx**

[M Sparks]

Hmmm...I'm not a gravy guy. I've never made it except sausage gravy every once in a while. Regardless of my culinary experience, I just meant I've never heard it as a metaphor.

Oh, and J.A.A...I think you'll find anything in this field worth doing is going to look a bit "daunting". However, while I'm not familiar with Reason, I think you'll find that the basics can usually be learned quickly, and you'll pick up the rest as you need it. It's like your Axiom (I've got one too), you may not know how to program the faders and such without reading the manual, but you know how to play a keyboard.

It's better to have to learn how to do something different on a complicated piece of software than to find out you can't do it at all.

[Just_another_alias]

Hmmm...I'm not a gravy guy. I've never made it except sausage gravy every once in a while. Regardless of my culinary experience, I just meant I've never heard it as a metaphor.

Oh, and J.A.A...I think you'll find anything in this field worth doing is going to look a bit "daunting". However, while I'm not familiar with Reason, I think you'll find that the basics can usually be learned quickly, and you'll pick up the rest as you need it. It's like your Axiom (I've got one too), you may not know how to program the faders and such without reading the manual, but you know how to play a keyboard.

It's better to have to learn how to do something different on a complicated piece of software than to find out you can't do it at all.

Good point. Thanks.

[Daft Fro]

Yo Alias, I am on the same boat as you. I want to get more serious about my jams this year as well. I have some keyboard experience, but I need to find my old one and get back to practicing.

I'm starting off basically with a musical 'workout' plan in mind. Piano/keyboard practice and classes to get basics and fundamentals of keys & notes. Then we have the software stuff. FL Studio and Reason going right now, possibly delve into Ableton and Pro Tools once I get my new laptop. Thirdly, working on my mixing skills. Random programs have been sufficing me so far, until I can get some proper vinyl decks. Then hopefully getting some digital mock-vinyl decks for on the go laptop mixing at parties and what not.

I'd love to have 10g's to splurge on gear, but for now (since my location 7months from now is way up in the air), I gotta stay low budget and low physical possessions.

But yea um, *cough usebittorrent cough*

[Ritestyl]

Step One: Steal Underwear

Step Two: ???

Step Three: Electronic Music

[woogie846]

I followed a dream one day. It ended up raping me. Please be careful when following a dream too closely.

Dream is coincidentally the name of his 4th grade science teacher.

[Just_another_alias]

Yo Alias, I am on the same boat as you. I want to get more serious about my jams this year as well. I have some keyboard experience, but I need to find my old one and get back to practicing.

I'm starting off basically with a musical 'workout' plan in mind. Piano/keyboard practice and classes to get basics and fundamentals of keys & notes. Then we have the software stuff. FL Studio and Reason going right now, possibly delve into Ableton and Pro Tools once I get my new laptop.

But yea um, *cough usebittorrent cough*

You sound like you're quite a bit further than I am. If you are in Socal, can you tell me where you plan on getting keyboard training?

I think personally I would prefer taking some software classes on Reason /Ableton/Pro Tools. Online tutorials are one thing but I think I'd respond better in a class setting where I can ask questions.
Would anyone know of a good place to look for such training, in the Los Angeles area?

thanks again all

[anti-square]

Most college campuses offer midi and audio recording classes. I took the midi class and we used Cakewalk Sonar. Its the equivalent of protools. Its an excellent piece of music software and you will be recording in no time. Like some one on here mentioned: a computer, the software, and a usb keyboard, and you are ready to make hits. So, come on!

[DaOneManWonda]

I am not mistaken, Justice made Cross using Garage Band.

hahahahahahaha

[Just_another_alias]

Hey guys, thanks for the tips so far. Turns out I was about to get Reason 3.0 installed today, and have been messing around with it with the help of a few youtubes. So far so good.
I came into a slight amount of cash so I am thinking about getting a macbook and setting up shop in my spare bedroom.

Next question: Anyone have recommendations for a speaker setup for my future macbook, if my budget was up to $300? I am also wondering about decent headphones but I know there's other threads I can search for that.

Thanks again guys.

[MassiveChemicalPunk]

Hey, you should check out the groovebox made by Roland. My brother bought one a couple of years ago and it kicks ass. They are a bit pricy though.

http://www.rolandus.com/products/pro...x?ObjectId=474

[superfiction]

good call, isn't that stuff really pricey?

torrentzzzzzz